Aerial Catch

Ember, a black kite, demonstrated its hunting prowess at the World of Birds show at the Minnesota Zoo in August. The bird flew along a walkway to the left of the seating area and a keeper/trainer tossed something enticing into the air. (More flipbook action!)

In 2018, I didn't try to follow a bird in flight. Photographing cheetah runs gave me practice following moving animals, and today I'm happy with my first shots of flying birds. My camera settings for the birds were workable: Continuous autofocus was most important. Shutter priority would have made more sense than aperture priority (f/8), but the day was bright enough with ISO 560 that the slowest shutter in these shots was 1/750s.

I know a little more about what I'm doing, and my equipment has changed. In 2018 I used a Nikon D50, which was introduced in 2005. That camera croaked the same year, and I began using a D7000, which was introduced in 2010. In April of this year, I upgraded to a D7500 (introduced in 2017, and Nikon is still selling it). I also have a longer lens with vibration reduction. (I buy my equipment used and have no complaints.)